HANOVER — Vito Penza was a hit, literally and figuratively, in his Dartmouth College football debut.
Then a touted freshman from Ohio, Penza first suited up in competition during a preseason scrimmage against visiting Harvard. The Crimson took it on the chin when Penza ran the ball, the Youngstown, Ohio, native knocking defenders backward and only increasing excitement about his potential.
Slightly more than five years later, injuries and a revamped offense have combined to limit Penza’s impact. He won’t dress when Dartmouth (1-0) hosts winless Colgate on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Memorial Field, but he hopes to return in the coming weeks.
“I would never have guessed it would be like this,” Penza said. “I’ve been through a lot more struggle than I expected, but I’ve embraced it and used it for fuel. I have a whole different appreciation for what it means to be able to come out here and play.”
Penza, 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, is one of Dartmouth’s most thickly muscled players and has the versatility to play tight end and running back or be a lead blocker. However, he arrived at Dartmouth with quarterback aspirations after being switched to the position as a senior in high school. The Big Green already had senior star Dalyn Williams at that position, and when injuries emerged at running back, Penza took handoffs against Harvard.
Penza’s performance that day led to immediate playing time and thoughts he might carry the offense after Williams graduated. Penza appeared in Dartmouth’s first nine games and carried 33 times for 143 yards. At times, he lined up as the running back in the Wildcat formation, but that alignment fell out of favor and the power running game reduced with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Kevin Daft in 2017.
“We were changing our offense and they asked me to switch to flex back, lining up in the backfield but playing more like a tight end,” Penza said. “I was excited for the change, because my body type was changing, and I had a chance to play more.”
Penza caught eight passes and ran for two touchdowns as a sophomore and caught 10 passes as a junior, missing only two games during those seasons. He’d become a solid contributor in a position that various other schools had previously projected him to play.
“I was opposed to it during recruiting because I really wanted an opportunity to play quarterback,” said Penza, who turned down offers from Air Force and Cornell as well as preferred walk-on slots in several Big Ten programs, including Ohio State. “There have been a few unexpected positional changes, but I kind of expected them and I’m really appreciative of it.”
In a double shot of bad luck, Penza suffered noncontact knee injuries on the final day of spring practice each of the last two years. The first cost him all of last season, when Dartmouth went 9-1 and narrowly missed its second Ivy League title since 2015. Penza was awarded a fifth year of eligibility and has worked diligently, if impatiently, at rehabilitation.
“The first injury was freaky,” Penza said. “I hurt my hand but stayed in for the next play, which is when I hurt my knee. Then it turned out I’d broken my hand. It was a bad five minutes.”
Penza has spent much of the last two years working to return. On Tuesday, he practiced exploding out of his stance and running the first steps of pass patterns against athletic trainer Ben Schuler. On Wednesday, he joined the tight ends for a few drills. In Penza’s absence, younger players have surged up the depth chart, but he retains hope he can contribute.
“I’ve taken it on the chin, but there’s nothing I can do to make it better other than to have a good attitude,” Penza said. “It’s been really frustrating for me, and I give the coaches and medical staff credit for putting up with me wanting to be back out there.”
Said Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens: “Getting back is really important to Vito and he’s getting closer, but we want him to be fully comfortable before we use him.”
Penza suffered a setback in his rehabilitation over the summer and has battled other minor injuries as he’s compensated for the knee problems. A double major in religion and economics, the devout Catholic plans to begin law school in Florida next year but wants to leave Dartmouth with a second championship ring.
“After this spring, I didn’t think I’d be able to return to football, and that was really hard,” Penza said. “But I feel really good, and I’m trying to do everything I can to be ready and appreciate the little bit of time I have left.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.